Controlling Labor During the Holidays

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It is important during the holiday seasons to preschedule and prepare for labor needs during the holidays. Nothing is worse than being caught unprepared. The holiday seasons are full of great things and good intentions, but with the good things come the stress it takes to plan them out. If you plan out what you need ahead of time, you'll feel a sense of ease. It is nearly impossible to go through a holiday without any issues. However, if you can prevent some of the issues from occurring, wouldn't you? Controlling labor needs during holiday seasons is one place to start.

Your first step should be to assign people to do specific tasks. Evaluate your employees and assign accordingly. Every person has their strengths and weaknesses. If you assign your employees to the areas where they are strongest, you will get the best results. Consider speaking with your staff. Divide and conquer. If your employees are not comfortable in the position in which they are placed, your store's production during the holiday flow will be prone to issues. Plan ahead and wait for results.

Hold staff meetings prior to and during the holidays. This is one way to get everyone together in an effective way in an open environment. A daily staff meeting is ideal. It doesn't have to be long, but it needs to run smooth and productively. What are your expectations during the holidays? Make that known during these meetings. If you work out what needs to be done ahead of time, how to do it and who needs to do what, then there is no reason why the holidays should not run productively.

Lastly, consider providing lunch during the chaotic flow of the holidays. This not only helps show your employees that they are appreciated, but it also controls who leaves the store and when. This ensures your store is running at 100% while keeping your employees happy, full and appreciated. Appreciated employees that are working in the areas that best fit them will increase the probability for success.

Controlling labor needs during the holiday seasons is extremely necessary. You can't run a shop without the proper numbers on your side regarding labor. Prescheduling who needs to be there and what needs to be done is one way to ensure your labor needs are met. Assigning your employees to the tasks that best fit with their strongest skillset will ensure tasks are being done effectively. Staff meetings open the need for discussion. This helps everyone understand what goals need to be met in a healthy way. Lastly, providing lunch controls who leaves the store and when. Labor needs are one of the most important factors to take into consideration during the holiday seasons.